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Tests and diagnosis

By Mayo Clinic staff

Doctors usually diagnose seborrheic dermatitis by taking a thorough medical history, listening carefully to what you say about your symptoms and examining the skin areas that are troubling you.

Steps to diagnosis include:

  • Medical history. Your doctor will ask about your symptoms, all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you're taking, and your other health conditions.
  • Physical examination. Your doctor will examine your scalp and areas of your face or body where you have symptoms.
  • Skin biopsy. Your doctor may scrape cells off your skin and examine them under a microscope or take a skin sample (biopsy) for detailed analysis in a laboratory. These tests may help confirm your diagnosis by ruling out other skin conditions.

Conditions with some symptoms similar to seborrheic dermatitis include:

  • Psoriasis. This disorder also causes red skin covered with flakes and scales. The flakes tend to look more silvery and usually extend beyond the hairline of your scalp. Patches can range from a few spots of scaling to major eruptions that cover large areas of the body. The parts of your body affected may differ from the typical pattern of seborrheic dermatitis. Like seborrheic dermatitis, psoriasis can cause dandruff.
  • Atopic dermatitis (eczema). This skin reaction causes itchy, inflamed skin. It often occurs in the folds of the elbows, on the backs of the knees or on the front of the neck. It tends to flare periodically and then subside for a time, even up to several years.
  • Ringworm of the scalp (tinea capitis). This fungal infection is most common in toddlers and school-age children. It causes red, itchy, bald-looking patches on the scalp.
Treatments and drugs Preparing for your appointment
References
  1. Berger TG. Dermatologic disorders. In: McPhee SJ, et al. Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2010. 50th ed. New York City, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2011. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=747. Accessed March 29, 2011.
  2. Datner A. Complementary and alternative medicine in dermatology. In: Wolff K, et al. Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine. 7th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=3005766. Accessed March 29, 2011.
  3. Plewig G, et al. Seborrheic dermatitis. In: Wolff K, et al. Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine. 7th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2951940. Accessed March 29, 2011.
  4. Naldi L, et al. Seborrheic dermatitis. New England Journal of Medicine. 2009;360:387.
  5. Stefanaki I, et al. Therapeutic update on seborrheic dermatitis. Skin Therapy Letter. 2010;15:e1. http://www.skintherapyletter.com/2010/15.5/1.html. Accessed March 29, 2011.
  6. Morelli V, et al. Alternative therapies for common dermatologic disorders, part 1. Primary Care: Clinics in Office Practice. 2010;37:269. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/article/body/238184569-2/jorg=journal&source=&sp=23315271&sid=0/N/747943/1.html?issn=0095-4543. Accessed March 29, 2011.
  7. Weston WL, et al. Overview of dermatitis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 29, 2011.
  8. Dattner AM. Seborrheic dermatitis. In: Rakel D. Integrative Medicine. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier. 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/208746819-2/0/1494/0.html. Accessed April 2, 2011.
  9. Public health advisory: Elidel (pimecrolimus) cream and Protopic (tacrolimus) cream. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPatientsandProviders/DrugSafetyInformationforHeathcareProfessionals/PublicHealthAdvisories/UCM051760. Accessed April 1, 2011.
  10. Pielop JA. Benign skin and scalp lesions in the newborn and young infant. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 1, 2011.
  11. Fish oil. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed April 3, 2011.
DS00984 June 16, 2011

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